Theamboonlers A, Rianthavorn P, Jiamsiri S, Kumthong S, Silaporn P, Thongmee C, Poovorawan Y
Center of Excellence in Viral Hepatitis, Paediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.
Trop Biomed. 2009 Dec;26(3):352-9.
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is a communicable disease, typically transmitted by faecal-oral contamination. HAV outbreaks usually occur in endemic areas. We report an outbreak of HAV from June to July, 2008 among Thai navy recruits who had received training at the Sattahip Navy Base, Chonburi province, Thailand. Upon conclusion of the training, the recruits were deployed to serve at several navy bases across the country. Secondary cases of HAV infection were reported among military personnel from these navy bases. To elucidate origin and distribution of these outbreaks, we characterized the genome and genotype of HAV isolated from the different navy bases. Sera and stool from the subjects were tested for antiHAV IgM, antiHAV IgG and HAV RNA. Subsequently, molecular characterization of HAV was performed by nucleotide sequencing of the VP1-P2A region, BLAST/FASTA and phylogenetic analysis. HAV RNA was detected in specimens obtained from different areas. All isolated strains clustered in the same lineage and belonged to genotype 1A. They shared nearly 100% genome homology indicating a single point source of this outbreak. This study provides essential baseline data as a reference for genetic analysis of HAV strains causing future outbreaks. Early detection of HAV infection and identification of the source by using molecular characterization and prompt preventive measures will hopefully prevent further outbreaks.
甲型肝炎病毒（HAV）感染是一种传染病，通常通过粪口污染传播。HAV疫情通常发生在流行地区。我们报告了2008年6月至7月在泰国春武里府梭桃邑海军基地接受训练的泰国海军新兵中发生的一起HAV疫情。训练结束后，新兵们被部署到泰国各地的几个海军基地服役。在这些海军基地的军事人员中报告了HAV感染的二代病例。为了阐明这些疫情的起源和分布，我们对从不同海军基地分离的HAV的基因组和基因型进行了特征分析。对受试者的血清和粪便进行了抗HAV IgM、抗HAV IgG和HAV RNA检测。随后，通过对VP1 - P2A区域进行核苷酸测序、BLAST/FASTA和系统发育分析对HAV进行分子特征分析。在从不同地区获得的标本中检测到了HAV RNA。所有分离株都聚集在同一谱系中，属于1A基因型。它们的基因组同源性接近100%，表明此次疫情有单一的源头。本研究提供了重要的基线数据，作为对未来引发疫情的HAV毒株进行遗传分析的参考。通过分子特征分析早期检测HAV感染并确定源头，以及迅速采取预防措施，有望防止进一步的疫情爆发。
